then there is john kerry if the president doesn't tap him for state. attorney general eric holder, a long-time political target of conservatives, says he is still undecided about staying on. he reportedly told law students in baltimore thursday, do i have some gas left in the tank? that's something that i'm in the process now of trying to determine. >> these are intense, critical jobs, and, yeah, there is a high burn out factor. >> reporter: many of these announcements, though, are going to be postponed, particularly treasury, because of the fiscal cliff negotiations. both jack lew and timothy geithner are front and center in these talks with speaker john boehner. >> all right. chuck todd at the white house this morning, thanks. john meacham is a pulitzer prize winning historian and author of the new book "thomas jefferson the art of power." good morning. >> thank you, sir. >> tell me about what's going on in washington right now. everyone is saying the right things. president obama said a couple days ago i'm looking forward to reaching out and working